And The Sins Did Live On Through The Son, And On In His
by alfredtg
Summary: Venom Snake awakens from the sleep of death to discover a future in peril. War yet rages, with the wills of old men yet lingering and new horrors rising to plague humanity. Can Snake once again marshal the Diamond Dogs to fight for the hope of a better tomorrow? Or will the lingering shades of an age past drag them all back into hell?
1. Chapter 1

_Some tragedies are so great that they can leave a million people sobbing, can leave a scar on the collective psyche of an entire culture that never heals. But if you ask me? It's the silent tragedies that are the saddest. The tales of men and women forgotten by their own people, who've lost more than anyone can possibly know. The Diamond Dogs are those tragedies, every single one of them._

_Revolver Ocelot in confidence to Big Boss following the Sahelanthropus incident_

Following the failed assassination of the US President by US Senator Armstrong, the policy of war as a business began to decline in popularity among many nations. Technology developed by one Sunny Emmerich guaranteed the interconnectedness of many nations across the planet, and brought the people of Earth closer together than they ever had been before. With the largely unknown threat of the Patriots extinguished, World governments were once again allowed to develop policies according to their own metrics of justice, unbound by the strings of all-knowing and all-controlling AI. It was only natural the the United Nations use the newfound interconnectedness of the world to forge a new national identity, one based in species rather than in geographical or political boundaries. With the full resources of Earth at its disposal and only one way to go from there, the United Nations revitalized the space programs of the former rival superpowers with the intention to begin colonizing the stars. Humanity was still plagued by inequity and a myriad of other issues, but still found that in this time of its history more prosperity than in any before it. Humanity chased the stars with a vigor that left none idle, all worked to see their new nation spread and prosper.

With her unrivaled intellect, Sunny Emmerich quickly earned generous world government grants to research extra-planetary manned space expeditions for the purpose of resource exploitation and exploration. Spear-headed by Emmerich, the program went beyond expectations by allowing colonization on Luna and Mars in mere decades and exploration of the farthest reaches of the solar system in just as long. It was at the completion of the first Martian colony dome that the relay was discovered past Pluto.

The structure was enormous, putting any construction of mankind to shame and proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were not alone in the universe. Excavations on Mars shortly afterward revealed archives of inhuman design. Translation was a laborious effort, but invaluable, as a treasure trove of information within the archive allowed for the acquisition of technology far beyond what mankind had available to itself, namely a new element.

This element was crucial to the use of the relay itself and for the use of lightspeed travel as a result. It was dubbed Element Zero, a special place on the periodic table of elements reserved for the element that would rocket man into a new golden age. Despite the many revelations of these new discoveries, there was much mankind collectively did not know. Who had left the relay, where had they gone? Where did the relay lead to?

These questions might've been answered in time, but with the discovery of Eezo (Element Zero) deposits within the Solar system they fell by the wayside. With its recent prosperity and peacefulness, mankind had multiplied and found the solar system grew too small for its large numbers.

From there the relay was found to lead to others of its kind in other solar systems, traversing the distance between stellar entities by using Eezo as fuel. Manind spread quickly in this time, relying on the technological advances of Emmerich and her think-tank to continue bringing them to new heights.

Though humanity was united as it had not been in any other age, the beast within all men was not dead, and its desire for war and destruction manifested in the research and development of new warmachines. With the United Nations (now turned Systems Alliance), many of the weapons developed by Sunny's father Hal Emmerich were deemed inhumane and the blueprints for these weapons restricted within sealed info-vaults on Earth. This did not stop the Systems Alliance from green-lighting the production of a fleet of warships based on designs created by Sunny Emerich but repurposed for warfare. The Systems Alliance also began the development of weapon systems based on Eezo tech without Emmerich's awareness or approval. Seeing the return of mankind to its barbarous ways, Sunny Emmerich despaired that the work done by her father and his friend Snake would be for not and that war was an inevitability.

The rising industry of private space-travel insured that piracy would be inevitable however, and the Systems Alliance was well prepared for any attempts by the opportunistic to stymie their forward march of progress. The fleet the constructed was heavily based on the United States naval doctrine during the rule of the Patriots, with large carriers forming the center of fleets with smaller combat ships acting as support vessels. Fighter superiority often proved to be the cause of many decisive victories, as pirates could not field their own fighters to counter the small and maneuverable craft. The captains of these carriers became the leaders of their own fleets, and members of the small yet growing admiralty board that represented the System Alliance's military leadership.

Despite Emmerich's fears, the militarization of the System's Alliance was minimal. Several carrier-groups were created to patrol the burgeoning territory of mankind while picket groups escorted research vessels as the continued to unlock new relays and explore the systems they led to. Rather than relying on military force to exploit frontier colonies and enforce their cooperation, all worlds under the banner of the Systems Alliance were represented in the collective government of mankind. There was a barrier in regards to population, in order to prevent gerrymandering of smaller populations to unfairly influence wide-reaching decisions, though most were satisfied with their representation in government.

Then came the First Contact War. An exploration group had recently unlocked a new relay and were holding position on the other side until they were cleared to fully explore the new solar system. They were greeted by warships of alien design. When it was clear that their ships were holding position near the relay while interacting with it, the alien ships opened fire with little warning. The picket vessels of the group sacrificed the lives of their crew in order to escort the science vessel safely back through the relay to human space. When this vessel returned to the world of Shanxi with word of hostile aliens and the complete destruction of their escorts, the Systems Alliance gathered its fleets together. The aliens had pressed their attack beyond the relay, disabling Systems Alliance ships and blockading Shanxi. A flotilla with a core of bulky, durable carriers and a wide array of destroyers, cruisers and picket frigates met the alien ships, who had been reinforced since the initial encounter. A pitched battle took place, with the durable and hard-hitting alien ships picking apart the support craft of the humans while being whittled down by the fighters and bombers deployed against them. The aliens did not share humanity's fascination with smaller maneuverable craft and had little answer for them, but their destruction of the larger support craft left the carriers vulnerable. The battle ended in stalemate, with the aliens withdrawing beyond the relay and the human craft left to lick its wounds and count their dead.

The conflict escalated as the aliens returned with a yet-larger fleet not but a month later. While the Systems Alliance had rallied more of their protective carrier-groups to support the battered fleet, the efficacy of the alien weapons against the support craft of their fleets left them heavily depleted. It was noted that not a single carrier vessel was destroyed over the course of the conflict, the heavy armor and shielding of the vessels combined with fighter/bomber screens made approaching the warships a dangerous prospect, and was ultimately the reason Shanxi held. This did not mean the conflict was decisive, humanity barely held the line and lost a significant amount of its naval power in the defense, though not so much as to reduce its ability to defend itself in the long-term.

Aware of the potential of a long and drawn out campaign of defense, the Systems Alliance subsidized ship production and quietly began updating the designs of Hal Emmerich previously sealed away with modern Eezo technology. It seemed as though with this new enemy the devil within humanity had resurrected, though those wise enough knew that it had never left, nor had its bloodlust abated.

What came next through the relay as humanity braced itself for another savage conflict was not an invasion fleet of many more ships, but an escort for diplomatic envoys. Broadcasting messages of peace and requesting a meeting of diplomats, a ship unlike the other alien vessels carried an early end to a potentially devastating war. Though the Systems Alliance and many of its people breathed a collective sigh of relief, others were far more skeptical.

The peaceful aliens introduced themselves as Asari, and their warlike allies as the Turians. With them they brought peace but also tore away the veil of ignorance, revealing the galaxy at large and also yoking humanity to the rule of the council. Such a large conglomeration of alien powers working together would not be overcome by humanity, despite how well they had performed against the military arm of the council. As such they needed to bow to the council's restrictions or risk brining sanctions and worse upon themselves. The era of man's unhindered expansion was over, though the council did allow for limited continued growth.

The war's cost was in more than lives and ship however, as humanity had forever branded itself to the galaxy as a warlike species capable of going toe to toe with the Turians. The Turians themselves nursed their bruised pride and did not forget the black eye the upstarts had given them, nor the lives lost. The Asari were wary of a race containing powerful biotics and the determination to match the Turians at their own game, and quietly took steps to slow humanity's rise in power. The Salarians were impartial, though took up with the popular view of humanity as an upstart for political reasons, as well as expanding their STG operations to encompass the Systems Alliance.

With the end of the First Contact War came an end to the brief revival of the war economy that had once enraptured mankind, and now again threatened to do so. The galaxy was not a friendly place, and one of the System Alliance's closest neighbors was the infamous Batarian Hegemony, a well known slave-owning state. The colonization rights given by the Citadel Council ran right up next to the territories marked by the Hegemony for their own colonization. With such a dangerous rival within reach of the most vulnerable territories of the System Alliance, further spending on defense and weapons development was approved. The metal gears of the past continued to be resurrected into the future, and would no doubt revolutionize warfare again as they had before.

The System Alliance's vigilance against the Hegemony was proven wise when rampant piracy, worse than ever before, struck their new frontier. Many batarian nationals, secretly funded and supplied by the Hegemony to stymie the Alliance's colonization, raided and enslaved the colonists on a massive scale. The metal gears were held in secret, however, until the infamous Skyllian Blitz, where the largest raid on Alliance territory on record occurred. The family of one Anne Shepard was killed in the Blitz, but the rapid deployment of various metal gear types was able to quickly repel pirate forces on the ground while a reinforcing fleet moved in to route or destroy all pirate vessels above the planet.

The reveal of such powerful weapons further stigmatized humanity to the galaxy, especially since Systems Alliance had not reported that they had developed such weapons to the council. The Turians in particular were incensed by humanity's flagrant disregard for the approval of the use of these bipedal weapons. The general opinion of humanity was that they were scheming war-lovers, no better than the Hegemony at best, and a new krogan threat at worst.

While the political situation for humanity seemed grim at this time, those who resented the rash actions of the Turians and the restrictions imposed by the Citadel Council among humanity had long been working silently to advance the goals of humanity despite the fears of the aliens. It was the influence of these radicals that shaped such decisions as the continuation of the metal gear redevelopment, as well as the decision to deploy them. The political blowback from their unsanctioned use resulted in consequences imposed on humanity by the Citadel Council that severely hamstrung the System Alliance's ability to continue the growth and prosperity of humanity at the pace it had up till now.

The end result was a purge of radical "pro-human" elements in politics as well as a significant effort to become more appealing to the Citadel Council, with the long-term goal of becoming a council race. Unlike other smaller races, humanity had the strength and many qualities that suited a council seat-holding race. It would be a long road of laboriously following Citadel Council laws and edicts, but after cutting several costly deals, the Systems Alliance would eventually be able to remold their public identity into something more resembling the truth, as well as something close to consideration for a seat on the council.

The pro-human elements that had been purged were not all simply gone however, and many highly influential individuals that held such views simply became far more quiet about them while working secretly to further their agendas. Many worked in concert, putting their considerable resources together in order to legitimately represent their case in Systems Alliance politics. One did not. Rather than relying a government that had cast him out, a man known simply as the Illusive Man went far more underground than his fellows, and dug further down to find the tools he needed to realize his "bigger picture". He found the Patriots, as well the real story of the Boss's will. The Patriots had long ago been made obsolete, and had been rendered harmless as a result, but yet they lingered, like parasites attached to the body of humanity, the strings they once pulled to control humankind had not truly been severed.

The Illusive Man took advantage of this fact, building a vast fortune and numerous contacts through bribery, blackmail and threats. His intelligence seemed omnipotent to many within the Systems Alliance, but did not extend beyond that. Knowing this, he founded the group Cerberus with the intention that they might carry out his will and extend his control, and by extension humanity's, to every star in the sky.

While this and the ingratiation of humanity to the rest of the galaxy was under way, the events of Sovereign's rampage with the Geth took place. Sovereign was first spotted by Anne Shepard on Eden Prime, and finally destroyed by the same woman over the Citadel in a climactic battle that saw the Council members rescued and the threat ended. Anne Shepard claimed that the ship Sovereign was in fact a Reaper, and was the first of a vast armada of similar ships that would return soon. These claims were dismissed, though the Systems Alliance was recognized for their aid in the rescue of the Council and the Citadel by being given a seat far earlier than the Turians or the Salarians.

This might have caused outrage, had it not been for how closely the Systems Alliance, the Turian military and the STG had worked together in order to defeat Saren and his master Sovereign. The sharing of metal gear technology among council seat holders also mitigated the potential blowback of the Systems Alliance's rapid ascension within the Citadel Council's hierarchy. In the end it was the ostensibly peace-loving Asari who remained the most skeptical of humanity.

Anne Shepard's warning to the intelligent races of the galaxy, that the Reapers were returning was ignored by many, including her own government. It was not ignored by the Illusive Man, who's own investigations and evidence corroborated Anne's conclusion. Before he could contact her and offer an opportunity to act, she was lost with her ship in a Collector Attack, the only confirmed death of the conflict.

Through grit teeth, Venom Snake let out a pained breath. One of his last, he was sure. Outer Heaven was in flames around him, the self-destruct would be going off any second. If he didn't bleed out through the massive hole in his gut, the explosion would take him for sure. Everyone was gone now, either run away from the coming explosion or dead from Solid Snake's infiltration. All of his men, his Diamond Dogs, killed like pawns in a cruel game played by those Patriots. They should've been free, but Cipher had turned their fortress into a tomb.

Well, Snake wasn't as much a victim as they were, he had used them just as much. A smoke-screen, a diversion for Big Boss, the real one. That's why he didn't feel like he had lost as much as he should've. With a shaking hand, he reached into his left breast pocket, taking out a cigar. His hands were shaking so much he nearly dropped it, but he was able to bring it to his mouth. Then, slowly and painfully he took out a lighter, and lit his cigar. One more before the end, before the Reaper got his mark.

Taking a drag, Snake began to notice the blackness in the corner of his vision. That self-destruct sure was taking its time, looks like bleed-out would get him. Not too bad of a way to go. Snake thought of all the men that had followed him, he thought of Miller, the angry old bastard. He was probably giving some recruits in America one hell of a bad day. Snake thought of Ocelot, so level-headed and useful. That man could be anywhere, but if one thing was certain, he wasn't dead yet.

Then he thought of Quiet. The one that got away, even from him. That still stung, even all these years later. She still meant something to him, and her disappearing forever had wounded him, another phantom pain to go with all the others. Snake's mind was slowing down now, heavy with a cocktail of chemicals meant to make his passing a little less painful. No pain killer could ever give him back what he had lost though, and the pain of his loss was sharp still. Blackness took him then, his final thoughts were the mourning of others that had been close to him. When everything else had left him, Venom Snake only had grief left to keep him company.

((Okay hi everyone, I know I probably should've been working on my other fic The Twin-Tailed Comet, but I got this idea in my head and it wouldn't let go until I put something to writing. This 6 or so pages long of mostly backstory, on reflection, is ultimately not super necessary to enjoy the fic! The differences between this timeline and the canon Mass Effect timeline are kind of small, especially after the events of Mass Effect 1, where super paragon Shepard kind of single-handedly fixes humanity's PR problem by being way too trusting of the Council members as well as being too nice in general. I want to make it clear that some version of Snake will be in this story, and will change the events of Mass Effect 2 and 3 significantly, as any good crossover fic should imo. It will also follow the events of Mass Effect 2 with a version of Snake as the protagonist, since Shepard is dead. Hope you all enjoy, and please have patience, chapters will come out when they can come out in a relatively high quality. Forcing writing is a good way to make it a chore to do.))


	2. Chapter 2

A scene of blue and red twisting in a polychromatic cosmic dance played out before the Illusive Man's eyes. Despite his wealth, he rarely gave himself the opportunity to enjoy it, but this view, along with his whiskey and cigarettes, were the vices he allowed himself. The moment he had allocated himself for relaxation passed, and it was time to go to work.

The work of the Illusive Man was hardly the labor of any lesser man, his tireless effort was spent directing his considerable resources and monitoring his subordinates. He promoted based on ambition and drive, but that often meant they got into all sorts of mischief when they though he wasn't looking. But he was always looking, watching for the moment of their betrayal. His projects were too important to take his eyes away for more than a moment.

One such project was having difficulties, something about a saboteur putting their work back by months. That was inexcusable, he needed the results of that project perhaps more than any other. An alert popped up on his terminal, signaling the success of another project. Odd, he had expected this particular task to take far longer. Perhaps then, where one problem reared its head, a solution became apparent. The Illusive Man began the process of assigning staff from the Lazarus Project, Miranda and Taylor would certainly be necessary. He had planned for Shepard to take up this task, but as the time tables were turning out he needed to make an exception.

Perhaps Project Long Shadow would make up for how Lazarus had failed him…

His head was a murky bog of confused thoughts and half-recognized stimuli. Memories surfaced only to be overtaken by pain or discomfort or weariness. He felt himself slip into and out of consciousness constantly, to the point where it was difficult for him to recognize what was a dream and what was reality. It was the shaking that finally woke him.

Snake's eyes snapped open. He was able to see before he was able to process what he was seeing. A bleached white ceiling, typical of medical facilities the world over. His whole body was in pain, a blanket of soreness and screaming muscles.

"I'm reading patterns consistent with consciousness, he's awake!" A voice cried out from his left.

"Don't administer a sedative, I have something I want to tell him," A woman's voice before him spoke. Snake struggled to fully come to, but found it to be like trying to sprint through waist-high mud.

"Can you hear me?" Snake turned his head to the woman's voice. "Good. You're in good hands Snake, just relax and we'll take care of you. I want you to know that you did it, Big Boss accomplished his mission and you helped him do it."

Snake stopped struggling for a moment. Even if it was a lie, he couldn't help but find relief in hearing it said. Like words told to a dying man to help him pass easier, only these words were spoken to help a dead man live again. Such thoughts passed from Snake's mind as he slipped back into unconsciousness, his brief revival more impossible than even he thought it was.

First came the shaking. Then came the boom of an explosion. More shaking. Then Snake opened his eyes.

There was no haze this time, nothing keeping him from feeling the fullness of the pain in his body. He wasn't sure, but it seemed like it probably wasn't as bad as it had been the last time he was awake. As Snake tried to rise into an upright position, his abdominals flared up in pain. Snake grit his teeth as a memory came unbidden into his mind. His last moments, the cigar, his grief all came flooding into his head at once.

Putting a hand to his head, Snake pushed through the pain and rose, swinging his legs over the side of the table his body had rested on. It was a surgical table, his ailing mind told him. What kind of surgery could undo the damage Solid Snake had done to him? A giant hole in his gut, patched up like some kind of shoulder wound? That kind of medicine was only science fiction.

That thought came to haunt Snake as he looked around him. Whatever kind of medical facility this was, it was clearly far more advanced than any he had been in before. Holographic displays, medical scans shown on what appeared to be interactive wall-sized screens as well as a panoply of unrecognizable medical equipment and drugs. Despite the advanced technology around him, Snake was the only person in the room. Then he remembered the explosions that had stirred him.

Stricken with a mounting sense of deja-vu, Snake came to his feet, working through his pain to explore his surroundings. The drugs were labeled in English, so Snake looked for a painkiller to make moving around easier. The knowledge of the medic he had once been lingered, and he recognized some that wouldn't kill him or put him right to sleep. He tried to guess his weight based on how heavy he felt, but it seemed off from what was familiar. Was there more metal in his body than before? It was as he reached for the medications that he realized he had no left arm. That wasn't as much of a surprise as it was waking up after his nine-year coma, but it would make navigating a little harder without a prosthetic. Even after death his phantom pains, his loss still plagued him.

Using his one good arm, Snake wrangled open a bottle of the right medication and tapped out a few tablets. Taking the proper amount in his hand, Snake downed them dry. He'd take a stomach ache if it meant he could move around more comfortably. It was then he noticed a blinking light on a futuristic-looking terminal near the door.

Snake went over and touch the blinking box of light. "Ah good, you're up. How are you feeling Boss?" A familiar woman's voice came from the speakers in the room. Snake looked around for a moment, still disoriented from his unconsciousness.

"A bit of pain, but nothing I haven't worked through before. Who are you, and what's the situation?"

"Right to business, I appreciate that. This facility, the one dedicated to recovering and rebuilding you, is under attack by agents sent by the Systems Alliance. I believe they are here to make sure you do not recover."

"The Systems Alliance?"

"It would take too long to explain everything, just know that anyone in blue should be considered hostile. In fact, anyone you see should be considered hostile, at least until you can reach the security station I'm holed up in. I'll be running interference for you from here when I can, but you should hurry. The enemy has taken control of most of the facility and swept aside out security forces, so remember your stealth training, keep low and out of sight. Avoid their patrols, and take advantage of the fact that they don't know you're up and moving yet. Grab the omnitool from the footlocker to the right of the terminal and I'll upload a map leading you to me. Good luck, and be careful."

_An Omnitool? _There was a lot Snake wanted to ask, but the woman on the other line was clearly done talking. The terminal changed, indicating that she had terminated the communication from her end. Snake opened the footlocker, seeing a device that appeared to fit over his wrist. That must be the Omnitool the woman spoke of. Snake strapped the device over his arm and it activated automatically. There were a few options, with the map displayed prominently among them, as well as a means to close the display. It was surprisingly easy for the 1932-born man to handle this futuristic piece of technology, indicating the intuitive design of the device.

The path that presumably led to the security station the woman was hiding in was clearly marked, but likely would be dangerous to follow exactly. If they didn't already know where he was, then that woman was likely keeping them from using the security against him. That made this a lot easier, avoiding just soldiers was far easier than trying to do so while avoiding security cameras and automated defenses.

Dressing in nothing but a gown and an Omnitool, Snake creeped out of his room and into the corridor beyond. From what he had seen of the map, the facility he was in was not that large, but connected to other facilities to make a larger complex. The security station the woman called him from was out of the way of the intersecting corridors and tram lines, a measure to ensure that should such junctions fall security would not be compromised in the partitioned facilities.

The corridors were littered with closets and ventilation shafts. Frequently Snake ducked into one of these rooms to hide from passing patrols of Alliance Soldiers. While they were supposed to be looking for him, it seemed like they were more looking for his room, once they saw he had given the slip their searches would become more thorough.

Snake was hiding in one such closet, listening to a group of soldiers tromping by his hiding spot when his Omnitool lit up. An incoming communication from the same source as before. As he accepted the transmission, the woman's voice came out more quietly than before, "Snake, can you hear me? I've lowered the volume of our call in case you're actively hiding from the patrols. I've intercepted an enemy communication saying that they've found your room empty as well as orders to begin a reverse sweep through the facility. They'll be on the lookout for you now, so be careful," she warned.

"I appreciate the warning, Boss out."

He cut the transmission and stood out of his spot. He would need to hurry up before he was trapped, and that meant taking risks. This is where getting spotted became a far more likely scenario. However the pain had largely subsided by now and he was feeling a little more limber, so Snake felt confident that he would be able to get to the security booth.

Larger rooms connecting directly with other large rooms replaced the narrow halls, offering far more opportunities to hide and slip by enemies. Crouching low to the ground, Snake passed through several of these rooms and was halfway through another when the door he had come through opened suddenly. A group of Alliance soldiers began sweeping the room, Snake had the good sense enough to not pass openly though any room rather than risk being spotted in such a circumstance, but if he moved for the next door now they would certainly see him before he could escape. His best chance was to try and remain concealed and hope they pass by him.

They were being thorough, leaving few places unsearched. Snake had concealed himself within an empty storage crate after they had entered the room, and therein he waited, hoping that they were pressured enough to keep moving without opening up every crate they find. Suddenly their squad leader announced: "Squad three reports resistance in the eastern dome, we're moving out to support them." The sound of the door they had come through opening and then closing a few moments later echoed through the room. Snake let out a breath he'd been holding and quietly opened the crate.

His Omnitool lit up, another communication. "I had some of our people engage with a patrol elsewhere in the facility, it'll buy you time but not much. We're running out of time, so don't bother sneaking through every room, just run the rest of the way here."

"Copy that, Boss out."

With that, Snake ran to the door, opening it to reveal another large room. It should connect with the security station, the last room before it. It was designed with holding the security station in mind, the area in front of the door lead up through open ground up to exposed stairs. These stairs climbed up to a fortified position with plenty of heavy cover and what appeared to be some type of heavy weapon emplacement already set up, though it was not manned. Snake climbed the stairs, bypassed the weapon and made for the security station. He didn't see a knob, or even any sort of panel to access like the other doors he had seen up till now. He was about to knock when the door opened. Immediately in the doorway was a woman dressed in a white skin-tight suit of some sort, made up of hexagons. She was one of the most beautiful women Snake had seen, with raven-black hair and an almost artificially perfect face. Age and heartache of his own had dulled his reactions to such things.

The woman did not smile on seeing him, yet did seem satisfied that he had made it to her. "You're here, get in. We have to discuss how we're getting off this station," she curtly ordered.

"Wait, there are questions I need answered before I go any further. Who are you, where are we? Why are these soldiers after me?" Snake pressed. It was the most words he'd said since waking, and he winced at the soreness of his throat.

The woman narrowed her eyes, annoyed at Snake's refusal to comply. "We don't have time for twenty questions. I'll answer what I can in time, but for right now we have more pressing matters. We can escape from this station, there's a small hangar meant for a patrol craft that can get us out of here. Once I start the launch process, they are going to know where we are. It will take a few minutes to align everything properly and start the shuttle, and in that time some patrols will be get here. I need you to hold them off while I finish the process. I'd ask Agent Taylor to do it but…" she gestured behind her to a man with dark skin propped against the security terminal. He nodded to Snake in greeting, "Sorry, I can't do it myself. I got hit and Miranda won't let me go out there with you to fend them off."

The woman, Miranda, shoots him a glare at that and points at the emplacement behind Snake. "Take up that position, you should have good enough cover and enough ammunition to keep them off our backs."

Snake nodded to her, "Alright, but you are going to answer my questions once we're out of here."

Miranda nodded, "I'll answer what I can, now go!"

Snake stepped back out of the door and over towards the emplacement. It seemed very different from what he was used to, but once it activated and unfurled its controls, it's mechanics became obvious to him. Same as the machineguns mounted on the sides of Pequod for all intents and purposes.

It was only about thirty seconds until the door leading to the emplacement began sparking at its outline. They were cutting the door open, then they would probably try to follow up with a flash grenade so they could rush in without being suppressed. Snake was ready though, and covered his eye with his arm. The door was blown off its hinges and a grenade followed shortly after. When the soldiers came to rush in, they were shot to bloody pieces by the mounted gun above them.

Snake's ears were still ringing, but his eye worked well enough to keep anyone from getting into the room. From the door the soldiers had an awful angle on his emplacement, so the only way to press forward was to either keep throwing in flash grenades and hoping Snake would be blinded by one of them, or rush the stairs and hope at least one of them could get close enough to keep Snake from killing them.

Being rational and reasonable creatures, the soldiers promptly threw another flash grenade in, though due to the higher position Snake held it did little to affect his vision. Snake could hear them reporting, "-have a mounted gun, and we can't assault its position with what we have… Squad six had heavy weapons, right? Get them down here!"

Snake kept on the trigger, until he saw Miranda carrying Taylor on her shoulder while trying to flag him down out of the corner of his eye. He left the turret which ceased its endless barrage of firepower and ran into the security station over to Taylor's other side. Miranda slams on the terminal, sealing the door behind Snake. With both of them carrying Taylor, they hurried into the shuttle, a strange and boxy-looking craft with no visible wings or rotating blades. _More fancy technology_, thought Snake as Miranda left Taylor with him and ran into the front of the craft. Snake lowered Taylor into a seat and let him strap himself in while Snake followed his movements in the seat next to him.

The hangar sealed itself off from the station and opened its other door into the void of space. Snake felt a lurch as the shuttle lifted and shot out into the blackness of space, but remained strapped into his seat. Snake couldn't see what was going on, and thought that whatever gave this shuttle any lift sure made for a smooth flight.

Miranda's voice sounded from the front of the shuttle, "We're free and clear. These shuttles are rated for stealth, so we should avoid scans. If we continue to put distance between us and the station, it will be unlikely that they can find us. I'm taking us to a rendezvous point where we will be picked up by a larger Cerberus vessel."

Snake looked over towards the cockpit, where Miranda was coming out of. Taylor had unstrapped himself from his seat, so Snake did likewise. "We should have some time until then, right? I still have questions."

Miranda sat across from Snake, balancing her elbows on her knees while bringing her hands together, "Yes, I'm certain you have plenty of questions. I'm not at liberty to answer everything, but what I know I'm allowed to tell you I will."

Snake frowned at that. Secrets, already. It was like the false memories he had of working alongside Cipher. Still, any information at this point was crucial. The situation had clearly altered drastically from what he knew. "Those soldier, do they work with Cipher?"

Miranda laughed gently behind her hand. It was a gentle yet condescending act, but Snake wasn't sure she even meant it to be condescending. He was beginning to get the idea this Miranda thought a lot of herself. "Cipher had been gone for a long time now, Boss. These are soldiers of the Systems Alliance, the government that rules over most of humanity. They've been tracking you for a while now, a mole in our staff leaked information that we were trying to revive you. They didn't want you are anyone like you returning to the living right now, so they tried to kill you before you could come back. But they failed." She seemed satisfied about that. From what Snake saw and heard, the soldiers there were well-trained and equipped. Any security short of an abnormally well-armed PMC wasn't going to stop them. That she was able to get him out at all indicated her competence, maybe her arrogance was at least partly well earned.

"Okay, then what is going on? What happened to Outer Heaven, and how am I still alive?"

Miranda nods, a question she had an answer for, "Outer Heaven was destroyed in an explosion, but not before agents working for Cipher recovered you and put your body in cryogenic stasis. They planned to use you like they had used Big Boss when they help him. Only Cipher and the Patriots that ran them fell several years later, due to an incident involving Solid Snake and Revolver Ocelot."

Snake's eye widened in recognition. So that kid managed to do it, and Big Boss's plan worked out. If that was true, what was he doing still alive? "Wait, how long ago did this all happen? What year is it?"

Miranda straightened herself, as though bracing to deliver some strong news, "The year is 2185, mankind has spread to the stars. War didn't end with Cipher though, and that's why we still need legends like you Boss. To fight impossible battles, and win against impossible odds, just like you did in Diamond Dogs almost two-hundred years ago."

Snake sat back, his eye narrowing as he processed Miranda's words. It was far too outlandish to be a complete lie, but… "You can't be serious. Almost two-hundred have passed? You can't expect me to believe that."

"It's true, if it means anything more coming from me too," Taylor piped up from beside Snake.

Miranda rolled her eyes, annoyed by Snake's stubbornness. "If you won't believe what I tell you, why bother asking me anyway? Isn't the technology around you proof enough?"

Snake rubbed his chin with his good hand, weighing the evidence he'd seen against the outrageous this woman appeared to be making. It was true that their weapons and much of the facility had tech that didn't exist in his time, or at least was not nearly as widely available. Something about the all their weapons was different too, instead of regular bullet contrails they streaked in colours. A lot was different, but nearly two-hundred years worth of difference, it was hard to determine based on what he's seen alone.

"Well, it doesn't really matter if you believe me now. Once we get to the rendezvous point, my boss will have more than enough proof for you" Miranda sighed.

"Your boss?"

"Yes, a man known as the Illusive Man. He was the one that funded the project to bring you back. He has an offer for you and I'm bringing you to him so he can make it."

"The Illusive Man, huh? Must not be popular with your Systems Alliance."

Miranda chuckled, "You have no idea. They've been on his case for years, but he's been ten steps ahead everytime."

It reminded Snake of Cipher. A puppeteer working behind the scenes, manipulating everything to their own ends. How many soldiers had died for this mastermind's ambitions? The thought wiped any lingering positive thought from Snake's head. If this kind of person wanted Snake, no, Big Boss, then it wouldn't be to do good deeds. It's be to kill and to destroy.

That was a path and a life Snake had died from and left. He had lost everything so many times, how could he be so foolish as to walk it again? "Whatever your boss is offering, I'm not interested. The war apparently ended for me a long time ago, whatever he wants from me he's going to have to get somewhere else."

Miranda seemed nonplussed by Snake's flat-out rejection, "I have a good feeling you'll be interested in what he has to say. Just hear him out, he can't make you do what he wants and if you're so confident he can't get you to do what he wants, you can just walk away."

Snake doubted that anyone knowledgeable enough to find him and wealthy enough to restore him would waste all that time and influence by allowing him to walk away. At this point, with the situation as it was, there was nothing to do but see this Illusive Man.

"Alright. I'll see your boss, this Illusive Man. Maybe there's still a reason for an old demon like me to stick around," Snake grumbled. Honestly he doubted it, with everything he's lost it felt like he could never truly have anything ever again. The fires of Outer Heaven had burned away the last of his soul, the last vestige of purpose he held. At the time it had been a mercy, Snake had never believed in an afterlife but even a shred of hope in seeing Quiet and all the Diamond Dogs again was enough to warm his soul as he passed.

Miranda nodded, "We have a few hours until we reach the rendezvous point, I'm going to see to agent Taylor, and then you'll allow me to check you over, you weren't supposed to be up and about for another two weeks, much less trapiasing around a warzone."

Snake nodded dully and took off his gown, revealing the compression shorts that were the only other clothing he wore. Snake found himself dozing as Miranda finished with Taylor and began poking and prodding his scars, asking how he felt. He was sure he hadn't been ready for what he had demanded of his body, and now exhaustion was catching up with him.

When he next opened his eyes, Miranda was shaking him awake. Every soldier's talent for sleeping in any conditions had kicked in, but now it was time to move. The shuttle had docked with a larger ship, Snake did know anything about their typing or tonnage, but it was big enough to have its own hangar. On board this new ship, Snake was given a new body suit. Unlike his old sneaking suit, it was bulkier, with some type of metal plating. It's lightweight surprised Snake, but regardless how heavy it was something this big would be impossible to sneak around in. Along with the new suit Snake was given a jumpsuit to wear underneath it, along with a single outfit to wear outside of combat. Snake couldn't remember the last time he had worn anything other than his combat gear or military dress uniforms, so it was strange to be wearing a button down and suit-pants with loafers instead of combat boots.

The halls of this ship were not much different from the corridors and storage rooms of the station he had woken on, only bearing none of the scars of battle. Snake was kept from most people on board the ship at Miranda's insistence. Something about compartmentalization, Snake was too tired to pay much attention. He slept for most of that ship's journey as well, it felt as if his soul longed for the eternal rest of death once again, to never march into hell as he had done so many times before.

When next he woke, it was a bandaged Taylor that woke him. It was time to meet the man behind it all.


	3. Chapter 3

His ride in the ship had been clever, a mask to keep the Illusive Man's location a secret. Even if Snake had been aware of locations within space, his confinement to a select few locations on that ship made it impossible to see where they were at any point. Anytime Snake had stepped out of his room in between sleeping and check-ups, he could feel the eyes on him. Whoever this Illusive Man was, he certainly wasn't trusting. It was probably why he'd lived so long as he did.

Miranda spent the better part of two hours prepping Snake for the meeting, bombarding him with information about how the world had grown and how it had stayed the same. There was simply too much, she eventually relented as the ship approached its destination. Perhaps the Illusive Man would fill in the blanks.

What of the station Snake was permitted to see was surprisingly unimpressive. It seemed small and utilitarian, with only as much space as was needed to fulfill its intended purpose, at least as far as Snake could guess. Taylor was taken away by some medical staff to be seen to a final time and Miranda led Snake to his meeting.

Miranda gave no final piece of advice or warning of what to expect, simply leading Snake to an unassuming door and opening for him. Stepping through, Snake saw some sort of device in the center of the room, below a section of glass floor. There was no table, nor chairs, and certainly no man, Illusive or otherwise. Snake stood awkwardly for a moment, confused as to why he was led into an empty room when he was supposed to be meeting the head of a shadowy organization on the run from the proper government.

Then the device in the center of the room lit up, and piece by piece a blue hologram of a man sitting in an uncomfortable-looking chair was constructed before Snake. The man had a comfortable look about him, holding a cigarette loosely in one hand while sipping some type of alcohol with the other. The strange blue eyes of the man did not leave Snake as he placed his drink on a table beside him and took a drag of his cigarette.

The Illusive Man let out a puff of smoke and brought his hand to his chin. He looked thoughtful for a moment before placing the cigarette in an ashtray to the side. "Hello Snake, I hope you're feeling well."

"I'm alive, which is better than I expected to be."

"Indeed. You have my Long Shadow Project to thank for that."

"Long Shadow Project?"

"A contingency, an imperative to recover and revive you. To bring you into the future, where you're useful to me. Not a cheap venture, but a legend like yours is valuable beyond simple currency."

"The legend of the Boss is dead. Died a long time ago. You wasted your money."

"I don't think so, Snake. You see, I'm in a unique position of knowledgeability concerning your 'status' as Big Boss. I'm also aware of how much that mattered during the Sahalenthropus incident, where someone who was not the Boss displayed skill and charisma practically equivalent to him. I am also aware of the potential value someone with such an equivalency might hold for me. I might not have Big Boss himself, but if you were good enough to fool Cipher, you will be good enough for my purposes."

"Hrrngg…" Snake grumbled to himself. He didn't like where this was going. Twice already he had risen from death, and this third time was seeming a little alarmingly similar.

"Let me make this clear. There is an active threat to humanity that no one else is going to deal with. To put it simply, politics prevents intervention enough to fully stop the threat. I need a highly independent factor to deal with the situation for me. You are that factor, and I have brought you back at considerable expense to myself to deal with the threat. Interested?"

Snake was silent. A wise man learned from his mistakes after he made them. Snake did not consider himself to be a wise man, having repeated his own mistakes too many times. This just seemed like his whole tragedy playing out again in front of his eyes. But… "Why me? What about this requires you to specifically recover me to deal with? You have resources, contacts, capable agents, why not just deal with it yourself if its so pressing?"

"Anyone I've decided to be capable of meeting the challenge is out of my reach or otherwise… unavailable. You were not my first choice, but are on a very short list of those I've deemed capable of accomplishing the task. Thousands of lives are on the line, Boss. We don't have too much more time. Are you interested, or aren't you?"

Snake thought for a moment. After all the suffering, all the pain and loss he had accumulated, hadn't he earned his rest? But here he stood, with thousands of lives riding on his answer apparently. "Tell me more, what threat? And what politics?"

The Illusive Man, despite the urgency of his words before, stopped to take another drag of his cigarette. After exhaling a cloud of smoke, he tipped his cigarette into his ashtray, then brought it up to his eyes, gazing at the smoldering tip. "There is an area of space, contested by two major galactic powers. In this space lies human colonies, outside of Alliance jurisdiction. These colonies are being attacked by mysterious aggressors, and their occupants abducted. The act isn't too uncommon, slavers run rampant in this section of space. It's the nature of the attacks that concern me, they're too perfect. No signs of struggle, no damage to buildings, no indication that any sort of irregularity at all, barring every single colonist being taken. I need you to investigate, and when you find the perpetrator, deal with them. Any questions?"

_There are a couple ways to pull something like that off_, Snake thought. Metallic Archaea, mass gass-bombing, maybe even buying compliance with hostages. The real question he had was, "You never really answered my question, why me?"

The Illusive Man showed no impatience or anger at Snake's insistence, his face remained completely impassive. "The area of space you'll be operating in is largely lawless. No government can act there, and it's highly populated with elements beyond my control. Frankly, I can affect little there directly or immediately, so I need someone I know can operate well in isolated conditions against impossible odds. There aren't too many people that can do that, and you're one of them."

"With your funding and support?"

"As much as I can give, yes."

"Well then, why do you care about a 'threat to humanity', as you called it? Why are you acting instead of someone else?"

"Why do I care? I know Miranda had told you little of my organization, Cereberus. It was at my request she didn't, but let me illuminate you as to our purpose. Cerberus is devoted to the advancement of mankind's interests, above all others. In an age where the politicking of large governments is a greater concern to them than the protection of their people, groups like mine act where they are frozen. This concern is exactly why we exist, and to ignore it would be to ignore our reason for existing, that is why I care."

His speech was calculated, every word chosen to elicit an intended thought or response. Ocelot spoke a lot like him, Skullface too. Wait, other interests? As in, other than humanity? "What do you mean by 'other interests'? Are we not alone, are there other races out there?"

For the first time, the Illusive Man's face shifted. He was amused at Snake's wonder, "I had forgotten. It seems so natural and mundane, that I had assumed you'd knew, but how could you. We are not alone, but that's not just a good thing."

Like hell he'd forgotten. It was a ploy, to demonstrate to Snake just how much power the Illusive Man held over him. Without the Illusive Man's help, Snake didn't stand a chance in this future. Still, it was amazing. Aliens, and he had somehow lived to see it. Huey would be insane with jealousy, traitorous wretch that he was.

The thought of his helplessness did give him pause though. Sure he was helpless, if he meant to go out into the world if he said no. Assuming of course that this Illusive Man didn't just gas him the moment he said no, Snake had few options but to stumble into a world he knew nothing about with the government of his own species already out for his blood, or just end it here himself.

A flash of disgust manifested on Snake's stoney face in a twitch of the corner of his mouth. How useless! What a waste of the life he'd been given back, even if he was tired of living so long. Snake ran a hand through his grey hair and thought of Quiet. She would've helped, just like she had when she disappeared into the desert.

Snake sighed and closed his eyes as grief ran through him. Just the thought of her was enough to make him lose composure even now. Phantom Pains tortured his body and mind and the Illusive Man watched intently, yet with patience.

"...Fine. I'll do it."

"I'm glad to hear that Snake. I figured you would accept."

"I have conditions."

"I assumed you would, but you'll have to relay them to Miranda. I'm a busy man, and you've already taken up all of my time. She will be joining you, as an advisor and as combat personnel. As you've no doubt seen, she's fairly capable and intelligent. Jacob Taylor will also be joining you, he has experience both in combat, logistics and in leading troops. It was a pleasure to meet you, Big Boss. I will be hearing from you in time." The hologram cut out, pieces of the Illusive Man falling into the floor until nothing remained and the device projecting him turned off. The room illuminated, and the door behind Snake opened with a mechanical whoosh.

Miranda walked in, heels clacking on the polished floor as she strode towards Snake, "I've been told you accepted. I've sent the details of your assignment to your omnitool, and I will teach you how to properly use it. I will also be catching you up on current events, and teaching you about the various species of the galaxy. Jacob will teach you about the weapons of our era and how to use them properly, though I suspect you'll catch on to those quickly."

Miranda left no time for Snake to respond, reaching him and turning him around with a firm hand to his back. Leading Snake back through the facility, she relentlessly listed off all of the things he would need to do in order to reach full reintegration with society and combat-readiness. Snake couldn't help but let his mind wander to the time he was rescued by Ocelot in Afghanistan. It seemed to have moved so quickly to him then, just like now. Snake couldn't decide if that was a bad sign or not.

A door slid open. In through walked Snake tailed by Miranda, still running through all the things she needed him to do. Miranda strode to match Snake's pace, still leading him through the facility while continuing her unending litany. The right side of the hallway gave way to glass, and though that an image that will probably stick with Snake till his last day. A ship stretched out across the whole of the space before him, a long horizontal section with many symmetrical box-like protrusions beneath it. The symmetry of the ship was heavily offset by the giant protrusion coming off the near side of it. To Snake, it resembled a giant revolver barrel and bullet chamber hooked into a ball socket. Besides the strange weapon, the overall shape of the ship reminded Snake of a US Aircraft Carrier flipped upside down and made larger. By his estimation, the ship almost matched the size of the station it was docked to, stretching out hundreds of meters.

Boss paused, breaking his stride to stare at the behemoth outside the viewport. "What is that?"

Miranda had also stopped, "That is your ship. Our ship, really, but it will be under your command."

"Are all ships that big?"

"Certainly not, there's not enough metals to go around for them all to be so massive. This ship used to be an old carrier for the Systems Alliance fleet before they upgraded. When Citadel Council tech came in, these ships went out, mothballed regardless of their condition. For a ship as large as this, the Illusive Man pulled none too few strings to make it disappear. On top of that the upgrades and retrofits weren't cheap either, be thankful that the Illusive Man is sparing no expense in funding this endeavor."

Snake was impressed by the scale of the warmachine, but knew that at the end of the day, it was soldiers that won wars. Toys like this were nice, but without men and women to operate them they might as well be scrap. "Don't tell me he's bankrolling a whole crew? Who could he get that would keep their mouths shut to a man?"

Miranda didn't answer immediately. She looked down to her omnitool before saying: "There was a bit of a complication with that aspect. Originally a crew had been picked out, but due to unforeseen setbacks in another project, they became inviable for our purposes. The mission has also upscaled considerably since then and we haven't had time to requisition a new one."

"Put simply?"

"There is no crew. Not yet."

Snake turned away and began striding down the corridor again. Of course there wasn't, nothing was ever that easy. If anything, that news assuaged his fears somewhat. The last time someone had offered him such a good deal, it had all been a diversionary tactic, with him and everyone that followed him acting as sacrificial pawns. Complications like this made it real, meant that someone hadn't just arranged it all beforehand from the shadows. Still, he was eager to see what the gun on the side could do to an armored division groundside. He'd never had the luxury of naval support.

He and Miranda continued, mercifully free of further briefing, until they came into a terminal. It was on the far end of the station, where the larger ship was connected via umbilical, and functioned as a docking station. Snake looked down to his right, where he could see the door that led to the large ship he had seen on the way. It was closed, presumably locked tight. Miranda started down to their left, where another door lay open. Through it they could see station crew members loading cargo onto a much smaller ship. It was smaller than the ship that had brought them to the station, and much smaller than the other ship currently docked behind them. If Snake had to put a classification to it, he'd call it a skiff. It wasn't oppullent enough to be called a yatch, more like a smuggler's ship. Snake wouldn't be surprised if it had hidden storage units.

Among the bustle of Cerberus uniform-clad dockworkers, Taylor seemed to be directing the onloading of various weapons and munitions. He looked up and over towards them as they approached him, pulled out of his inspection of an inventory manifest. "Hey, good to see you both. Docs cleared me, so I came over to make sure everything was getting loaded alright. How are you holding up Boss? You've probably had a lot dropped on you at once, wouldn't be surprised if your head was spinning a bit."

The corner of Snake's mouth upturned slightly. "I once woke up from a nine year coma to find that my hand was gone, only to have to fight off an assassin and accidentally start a fire in the hospital. So far, this is nothing."

Taylor's eyebrows raised in visible surprise, "Wow. I had heard you were intense, but that's... pretty crazy."

"Kid, if that's crazy, you wouldn't believe what I've seen in my time. That's just the least of it."

Taylor seemed doubtful, but Miranda's call cut short any further questions he might've had. The last of the cargo was being loaded on, with no additional crew accompanying them. Miranda was apparently qualified to act as their pilot for the time being, so they were limiting non-essential personnel as much as possible. Anyone they take with them could be a liability, maybe even a spy for the Systems Alliance or the Council.

While the ship was still being loaded, Snake went onboard to try to capture some time to himself. Miranda and Jacob were occupied with final loading and checks, so it seemed to be a rare opportunity to take time to himself.

Snake began rummaging through his omnitool, attempting to figure out the finer details of the unfamiliar technology in the main crew compartment. The ship wasn't big, but it did have room enough for several different compartments, including crew quarters, a main area with a small mess, cargo bay and cockpit. Jacob had stored the ordinance in hidden cargo compartments, better not to be caught with that kind of heat.

As Snake absentmindedly fiddled with his omnitool, he thought on what had happened. Returned from the dead once more, again to take on an impossible task. To fight today, so that there could be peace tomorrow. He still didn't quite buy that the Illusive Man was primarily concerned with saving lives, humanitarians didn't build giant warships or have the world government on their case. Frankly, despite what the Illusive Man had shown him he had his doubts. Snake wouldn't put it past the man to stage the images he had to get Snake to do some dirty work for him.

Snake heard the faint clunking of boots on deck right before the door opened. He turned as Taylor stuck his head in. "Packing's almost done, you got a minute?"

Snake nodded before returning to his explorations. Taylor sunk down into a chair opposite Snake and observed him. After a moment, Snake glanced up expectantly, and seeing Taylor waiting, waved him to say his piece as Snake worked.

"I've heard legends about you. Every soldier has, and a lot look up to you, especially now. It's probably why the Illusive Man is so interested in you." Taylor seemed to be rambling.

Snake grunted in the affirmative. Nothing new there, get the grunts to stand in line and die like they're supposed to. The soldiers respected him because once he had taught them to fight and die where they choose to, not where some government said. That made them respect him, and in turn made it easy for him to control them. Ironic, or maybe just stupid, that the anyone would turn to him to get them back under control.

"But I want to know what was real. What actually happened back in those days? Miranda always talks about it like it's some big secret but won't tell me when I ask. So who else better to hear it from than The Man That Sold The World himself?"

Snake looked up at that. That moniker was not a complimentary one. By the look on Taylor's face he hadn't meant anything by it, probably thought it was just impressive. Snake sighed as he put his omnitool down. He needed a cigar.

Snake looked to Taylor, "Tell you what. You get me some cigars, I'll tell you all about it. Deal?"

Taylor got an ugly look on his face. Cigars hadn't gotten any cheaper in a couple centuries, it seemed. "You got a deal."

The door opened again and in walked Miranda, looking her usual self-affirmed condescension. It was incredible how the women managed to look down her nose at everyone, even when they were taller than her. "Good, you're both together. I'll give a short briefing before we take off, so pay attention."

Snake fully deactivated his omnitool and Taylor turned his chair towards the center of the room. Miranda pressed a few small buttons on her own omnitool, causing a projector in the center table to expose itself and show a grey-blue world. "This world is where the colony of Freedom's Progress is located. It is one of many such worlds within the Terminus Systems, but is important to us because it sent out a distress signal. This is the first time someone has been able to call for help when a colony disappears, and it's the best hope we have for finding out what exactly is happening. This will be our first mission, and our last if we can't find anything more concrete than an empty colony. Still, the mission should be a simple one, the colonies were completely abandoned so there shouldn't be any trouble."

Snake silently put his head in his hands. He'd heard words like those before, and he'd never liked what came after.


End file.
